GUEST BLOG

As part of the Watershed project, Matt Sharman has been meeting people in locations across the Ullswater Valley. In this blog, Matt shares his reflections, some images of the people he’s come to know, and how he’s settled into what feels like an unusual process.

Trust the Process …

Five people – my ‘interviewees’ – have generously given their time and insight. The conversations have been ranging, heartfelt and interesting – I’ve learnt a lot. We moved through many different perspectives but some key ideas have been constant. Everyone, including me, holds the hope that any visitor to the exhibition space in Glenridding village hall leaves with a deeper understanding of the many living layers the Ullswater catchment has. This is an exceptionally beautiful environment and many people visit for this reason alone, but there’s also a rich cultural heritage, tightly-knit and hard-working communities with a strong sense of belonging, working with the land and connected to it. Everyone, in a variety of ways, is of this place.

This process continues to be an interesting creative journey for me. Usually, with film making, there’s more clarity about the form and shape the finished material will take. This project is different, and is a fascinating way of working – it’s far more organic, the connections and subject matter have been given the space to grow naturally from the conversations we’ve had. In this way it’s been more collaborative, and less directive. I’ve found myself relaxing into the complexity. I’ve been discovering and learning as I go, and it’s not over yet …

A woman sits on the ground, in front of a small wooden shack, and a brown pig approaches the camera — Animals have featured in many of Matt’s interviews. Here’s farmer Claire Beaumont, with Lilly (and piglets).

A man sits on a rocky outcrop, with a lake and hills behind him — Gordon Lightburn, Chair of the ‘Friends of Ullswater’ and local Blue Badge Guide.

A woman sits with her dog on a grassy hillside, with hills and a lake in the distance — With Kate Gascoyne from Cumbria Farmer Network, looking across the Ullswater Valley.

A woman sits in the shade of a tree, with a lake visible in the background — Matt met Kerry Rennie, from Natural England, and chatted in an area of woodland pasture

A woman sits on a patch of parched grass with a gorse bush behind her — Suzy Hankin, from the Lake District National Park authority

Matt, who lives in the Ullswater valley, is one of five artists taking part in Watershed, with each artist meeting five different people and creating work in response. The film will be part of the exhibition in Glenridding village hall, July 19, 20 and 21, 10am – 5pm.